Ganden Lha Gyama: April-May

Lama Tsong Khapa Guru Yoga (Ganden Lha Gyama)

Second teaching
Geshe Lobsang Dhonyoe
Thursday April 28, 2016
Dhargyey Buddhist Centre

Motivation

Please recall your knowledge that motivation is extremely important at the start of any practice like
here tonight. So the motivation must be completely pure. What would make a completely pure,
pristine motivation? A certain motivation would be pure when, if you think to yourself that I will
undertake this practice - whatever practice it is - for the highest good of all mother sentient beings
throughout space. If you are genuinely moved by that universal altruism then whatever you do is
grounded in quality pure motivation. As I was talking to you the other day, if you are moved, stirred
deeply by this intention to want to do the practice for the sake of the highest good of all mother
sentient beings, then you don't need to worry whether your practice will become a dharma practice,
and whether they will become a path and so on.

Guru yoga practice

The teaching on guru yoga practice will be the Joyous Land of the Hundred Deities. So it is a guru yoga
practice in relation to Je Rinpoche or Jamgon Tsong Khapa, the 15 th century Tibetan master who is
represented by the five figures in the glass cabinet. The one in the middle is Lama Tsong Khapa; on his
immediate right is his disciple Gyaltsab Rinpoche - Gyaltsab means 'the regent,' someone who
succeeded him. On his left is Khedrup Rinpoche. So the guru yoga practice about which we will learn,
and gradually do the practice in time, is done in relation to these three masters. If you do this guru
yoga practice, because it is a Buddhist practice based on the motivation of universal altruism or
jangchub for the sake of all sentient beings, then there is no doubt your practice will be genuine
practice and your practice will also take on the nature of a spiritual path or vehicle.

A Brief Biography

Because the practice is based on Je Rinpoche, it would be nice to know something about him. Who is
Lama Tsong Khapa? He was the founder of the fourth and the newest Tibetan Buddhist order. Lama
Tsong Khapa was born in eastern Tibet in the land of Tsong Kha. Tsong Kha is the land where he was
born and 'pa' is a Tibetan grammatical particle pertaining to a person. He was born to the man da-ra-
ka-che and his mother was she-sang achu. He was ordained at the age of seven and from then he
undertook his training. At the age of 16 then he left that part of eastern Tibet for central Tibet. It was
in central Tibet that he undertook his studies in Tibetan culture, particularly Buddhist training - the
study rigorous study of the five treatises on Buddhist philosophy meditation science and so on.

It is also noted that he worked hard to preserve the authenticity of the teaching of sutra and tantra in
Tibet. He also instituted the prayer festival in Tibet in the Earth-Ox year, but I don't have the western
equivalent before me. He also started teaching extensively in all the tree monasteries subjects like
lam rim; nga rim, the stages of tantra; lekshe nyingpo, literally translated 'the essence of eloquence,'
which is mainly about delineation of interpretive and definitive of the teaching of the Buddha, and so
on. In the process of teaching extensively - his own writing as well as Buddhist tantra and sutra - he
happened to gather disciples around him like Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Khedrup Rinpoche, as well as the
first Dalai Lama who was then not called Dalai Lama but Gendun Drup, and so on. So this very brief
account of Lama Tsong Khapa.

Sincerity of Practice

If we do this guru yoga practice from the bottom of one's heart, then I'm sure you will achieve the
success in time. To give an example, Lhasa is the seat of Tibetan civilisation if you like - both political
but more importantly spiritual - and therefore a lot of people travel to Lhasa. People also travelled to
Lhasa from eastern Tibet. Obviously in those days travel to Lhasa was not like today: today people can
travel to Lhasa much more comfortably and much more swiftly. But those days it was mainly on foot
or on horseback and so on. By the time I was growing up in Tibet people went to Lhasa in trucks in
motor vehicle and even then it took about a week to go to Lhasa. Although motor vehicles and so on
are available, people chose to travel on foot in the belief that if you travel on foot it is better for one's
spiritual purification. And going to Lhasa to see so many holy sacred objects and places is so important
for Tibetans. Some even would travel to Lhasa doing prostrating on the way, full body prostrations,
from Eastern Tibet to Central Tibet which would take them about a year.

When I went to Lhasa my teacher asked us to travel on foot, not to take cars and trucks and so on,
saying that there are people who prostrate themselves all the way in order to purify their past karma
and gather merit. He asked me and two other disciples, and we were in Easter Tibet, to go on foot. In
fact there were four people, including our teacher, in Eastern Tibet; so we travelled on foot and it took
us two months. So on the way when our food provision ran out, we asked for alms from villagers. It
took us two months.

One time an old woman from maybe Eastern Tibet asked another person travelling to Lhasa - because
she was not going to be able to travel - if that person could bring a holy object from Lhasa, especially
from Jo, the statue of the Buddha at the Jokhang. She asked that person if they could bring something
for her as a kind of spiritual relic. The person made it to Lhasa, went to Tashi Lhunpo and visited all
other monasteries and then went back home which took them another few months. When he arrived
back in Eastern Tibet he realised that he had forgotten completely to bring something from Lhasa, a
spiritual relic from in front of the Shakyamuni Buddha statue. So he found was the tooth of a dog, so
he picked that tooth of a dog wrapped it up n nice brocade and then gave it to the old lady saying,
“Here is your relic from the Buddha."

She was so delighted to get it and she had it by her pillow and she prayed to the relic every day or
every evening with total conviction that it was a relic from the Buddha or of the Buddha. As a result
of her conviction it is said that the dog tooth started issuing actual relics, ringsel. Because she believed
it was the relic of the Buddha, she took the dogs tooth for actual relic and prayed to it and then through
the force of her conviction the dog's tooth started to issue relics. So it goes to show that if we do our
practice with such force of conviction then the conviction will drive the practice and the practice will
begin to have effect. Time and again it is said the effect of your practice really depends on your mind
and particularly on your motivation and conviction.

Hundred Deities of the Land of Joy

Now, let's go back to the Hundred Deities of the Land of Joy. Here we were talking about Lama Tsong
Khapa and the two disciples hailed upon the billowing clouds, issued from the heart of Maitreya
residing in Tushita pure land. Is there somebody called Maitreya and has anybody actually seen
Maitreya Buddha? How do we know? Spiritual writings talk about existence of a Maitreya and not only
that he exits, he is in real person in Tushita pure land. Spiritually developed beings have been able to
go there see him and hear teachings. It is normally said that in this fortunate era, as many as 1,000
Buddhas will appear in the world. In some ways, for most of us, the appearance of that many Buddhas
in the world is not that easy to relate to. However Maitreya (who is said to be the fifth Buddha to

appear, four have already gone - he is the next one in line), as far as he is concerned, we needn't be
so detached in our thinking or to doubt whether there is Maitreya or not for there have been people
who have been there [Tushita Pure Land] and seen and heard Maitreya Buddha. Not only have people
seen him heard him teach, but as was referred to before, Maitreya is the fifth Buddha to come in the
world to actually appear as a historical Buddha, as an actually living Buddha next time.

It is from the heart of Maitreya that he sends forth a billowing cloud, as fresh as yoghurt, and amidst
the billowing clouds there is a throne supported by eight lions and then seated upon them are the
three - Lama Tsong Khapa, Gyaltsab Rinpoche and Khedrup Rinpoche - who come down as far as one
full arm span above your head. Then Lama Tsong Khapa and two disciples are seated upon a massive
thrown raised by eight great lions, four in main directions and four in the sub-directions, and on the
throne are the lotus, moon and sun cushions or seats.

When you recite the first stanza, at the end of the last line we need to have the conviction, a make
believe sense, that Lama Tsong Khapa and two disciples have hailed above your head. Another thing
to remember is to feel that they are above your head seated on the three layers of seats on the throne
raised by eight lions. So they have come and they are present above you looking quite pleased and
happy. What I would like you to do now is to recite the first stanza and at the end of first stanza then
think to yourself that indeed, as you have requested their presence, above your head the three are
present are seated on the throne quite delighted and pleased with you. And then also let's recite mig-
tse-ma.

Think to yourself that they help you overcome all complications, physical mental complications,
caused by ignorance -the fundamental ignorance that everything exits in and of itself- and negative
karma. Feel that through the power of your concentration, single-pointed concentration, they help
you overcome these. Meditation is for five minutes.

[Meditation]

At the end, feel that through the power of Lama Tsong Khapa and disciples all physical discomfort,
psychological problems, sickness, whatever they all are got rid of and you become completely radiant.

Q&A Session

Audience: Last week I wrote down that we're imagining Lama Tsong Khapa in front of us at forehead
height. Are we imagining that first, and then he comes to above our head?

Geshe-la: According to the description I have, he comes down one arm span above your head. When
they come down, they come facing you. As they take seat, then they turn to face the same direction
that you do. Obviously it would not be good to have Lama Tsong Khapa seated above your head facing
other way.

Audience: When is Maitreya projected to come?

Geshe-la: When is he projected to come? The calculation is quite difficult to talk about. When
Maitreya comes, according to Buddhist description, it goes against what people are experiencing
today: human longevity seems to be increasing, living more than 100. But according to Buddhist
description the average lifespan from 100 years will keep decreasing overall and it will go down to just
10 years, where humans will be so menacing to each other and according to description just one cubit
high. Lilliputians. They are just angry and violent, killing. According to description Maitreya's
emanation comes, who will be slightly taller than average, more handsome, better looking and people

will ask, "How come you are so special?" That emanation is said to say, "Oh, maybe because I practice
ten virtues and love."

Because people appearance is important to people, people begin to embrace more virtues and the
collective embrace of more virtues will have impact on lifespan, and lifespan will keep increasing.
Every hundred years lifespan will increase by so much, and it will keep increasing so much until it
reaches the maximum humans can live - then it will come back down again. The average lifespan of
humans at that time I think is 40,000 years, so humans will not be like us; they are said to be huge size
and live incredibly long. At that point Maitreya comes. Before our Buddha, three appeared; the first
one appeared when the lifespan was incredibly long.

So when is he going to come? Long way away.

Audience: I've heard that it's good to recite the Maitreya mantra as it helps you to be born at the time
when he comes to this world so you can be enlightened quickly. But if it is so far away, why wouldn't
you want to pray to be enlightened before that?

Geshe-la: Obviously if you can, you could certainly prayer to be enlightened before that. But you could
also pray to be reborn in Tushita pure land where he is said to be and teaching only Mahayana
teaching. So rather than for his actual manifestation, why don't you pray that you manifest in front of
Maitreya Buddha?

So you at the moment we have met the teaching of the Buddha and Buddha is gone but we are still
here - Buddha is gone 2,500 years over more. But we have met his teachings, and we pray to be
enlightened. Couldn't you also do the same, that you pray to meet Maitreya sooner than later,
yourself?